Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to get an EU treaty changed so Britain can get out of a Brexit

Former
head of the Les Republicains political party Nicolas Sarkozy, now
campaigning for the French conservative presidential primary,
leaves Calais city hall, France September 21,
2016.Reuters

Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to negotiate a new treaty for European
Union members that would allow Britain to get out of a Brexit if
he becomes France's new president in May next year.

Sarkozy told reporters,
including those from the Financial Times, that if he regained
the top position within France's government, he will personally
fly out to Germany immediately after the elections in order to
thrash out a new treaty with one of the EU's most powerful people
— German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I would tell the British, you’ve gone out, but we have a new
treaty on the table so you have an opportunity to vote again. But
this time not on the old Europe, on the new Europe. Do you want
to stay? If yes, so much the better. Because I can’t accept to
lose Europe’s second-largest economy while we are negotiating
with Turkey over its EU membership. And if it’s no, then it’s a
real no. You’re in or you’re out,"
said Sarkozy, according to the FT.

"Everybody in Europe is annoyed when France and Germany strike
deals, but when they don’t, everybody frets. And don’t tell me
this treaty would be complicated to negotiate. I have a lot of
experience negotiating treaties. The worst would be to do
nothing."

Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23. The vote was extremely
close — 51.9% opted for a Brexit while 48.1% voted for remaining
within the 28-nation bloc.

Reuters

Since then Theresa May has taken over as Prime Minister of the UK
after David Cameron stepped down. In order for Britain to leave
the EU, the Prime Minister needs to trigger Article 50, which is
a formal declaration that the UK is officially going to Brexit
and thereby start the two-year negotiation process of what an
exit from the bloc would look like.

Meanwhile, a number of MPs, including former Labour leadership
candidate Owen Smith, have argued May should not trigger Article
50 until the prospective terms of Britain's exit have been backed
by the a parliamentary majority. The prime minister has already ruled this out. But her hand
might soon be forced.